60 vintages ago the Prunotto winery did something revolutionary in Barolo

Few names in Barolo make aficionados’ hearts flutter faster than that of Bussia. Among the earliest of the region’s subdistricts to be identified on wine labels, this year’s 2021 vintage release marks the 60th anniversary of the very first Bussia bottling – from the esteemed Prunotto estate.

Alfredo Prunotto established the estate in 1922 upon buying the ‘Ai Vini delle Langhe’ cooperative, which was on the brink of collapse. He and his wife ran the company until retiring in 1956.

As their children showed no interest in taking over, they sold it to their young winemaker friend – the legendary Beppe Colla.

Having previously worked for the largest grape purchasers in the Langhe, Colla knew exactly where to source the best fruit for his wines.

He was also inspired by his travels to Burgundy: while Barolo was traditionally a blend from vineyards in different locations, Colla introduced a Burgundian model, making single-site wines and labelling them as such.

His approach was revolutionary (and criticised) at the time but eventually became widely adopted, paving the way for the huge diversity of site-specific Barolo we see today. Among the sites Colla chose, Bussia was identified for the quality of its tannins.

Notoriously, the Barolo of Colla’s era required years to soften. ‘With a tendency to sweetness, they [Bussia’s tannins] are very silky almost from the beginning of the wine’s life in bottle,’ notes Gianluca Torrengo, Prunotto’s oenologist since 1999.

‘Beppe considered that accessibility of tannins an added value because it meant not having to wait as long.’

Bussia back then was much smaller than the official MGA of today. It corresponded to the area of Bussia Soprana – an amphitheatre that encompasses the vineyards of Gabutti, Colonnello, Cicala and Romirasco (the latter three made famous by Aldo Conterno) – as well as the neighbouring hill which includes Dardi and Mondoca.

However, when Barolo’s MGAs were legally defined in 2010, Bussia was demarcated as a vast area – approximately 4km as the crow flies.

It now extends all the way from the village of Monforte d’Alba to Castiglione Falletto’s southernmost MGAs of Pugnane and Mariondino; an enlargement that Torrengo explains as bureaucratic, ‘because the name Bussia is also used for a river, a road, a central hamlet and an upper hamlet.’

The next chapter

After managing its distribution since 1989, Antinori acquired Prunotto in 1994. Colla remained at the estate until the transition to Antinori was complete.

Under the guidance of Antinori’s head of winemaking, Renzo Cotarella, the company immediately began buying vineyards, so as not to rely on purchasing fruit.

The first sites purchased were located in Bussia, and today the estate boasts a total of eight hectares of south- to southwest-facing plots in the original nucleus of the MGA.

Piero Antinori’s eldest daughter, Albiera – now president of Antinori – was in her mid-20s when she was tasked with managing the estate. Coming from Tuscany, she recalls that ‘those first few years, we were simply trying to understand’.

Her aim was to walk the tightrope between respecting local tradition and moving forward. ‘We looked for wines that didn’t need 40 years before being drinkable, with a colour that was red rather than rosé.’

This period corresponded with a time when many in the region, including Antinori, were experimenting with everything from more extractive macerations to the use of new French oak barriques.

‘Whether this went too far, I don’t know’, Albiera muses.

A taste of time

Earlier this year, Albiera hosted a tasting of Prunotto’s Bussia at the estate. Spanning six decades, it charted the broader evolution of Barolo – stylistic trends were palpable in the glass.

Although the inaugural 1961 was absent, the lineup did include the exceptional 1978 and almost as outstanding 1985 vintages from Colla’s tenure. Both were thrilling relics of a bygone era.

I couldn’t help being in awe of the 1978. Still vibrant and steely at almost 50 years old, it was impossible to fathom it in its youth. ‘It must have been like drinking lemonade,’ Albiera remarked to me.

The 1978 was also the only Riserva in the roster: until 1983, the Colla family declared almost all their single-site wines as such.

The wines from 1996, 2004 and 2008 represented a transitional phase. Deeper in hue with more volume and bulk, they are ageing less gracefully than the older examples.

While not lacking in flashy charm, the dense, extracted, oak-tinged 2004 was the most illustrative of these extremes, whereas the 2008 suggested an easing up.

Looking ahead

The final three vintages poured – 2016, 2019 and 2021 – demonstrated the direction that Antinori has taken Prunotto after much internal reflection.

In terms of winemaking, extractions are now much gentler, and macerations relatively short (approximately 10 days). French oak is still preferred but the casks are medium to large in size (25 to 75 hectolitres).

‘The last 10 years signify a turning point,’ asserted Cotarella, who was candid about his learning curve with Nebbiolo. ‘Now we are looking to bring depth of flavour without weighing the wine down.’

Indeed, the trio was united by a toned, balletic frame rather than body-builder muscles.

The 2016 struck me as somewhat naïve, though its purity and finesse of tannins were undeniable. Both 2019 and 2021 amplified these attributes, showing greater sophistication and intricacy, particularly in the former.

It remains to be seen if these recent releases will endure as long as their predecessors from the 1970s and 1980s. However, they are clearly poised to offer immense drinking pleasure throughout the arc of their evolution – something that couldn’t necessarily be said about the Barolo of yesteryear.

Prunotto’s Bussia: Tasting back in time

Below, Michaela picks out her six top wines from a tasting which spanned six decades of Prunotto’s Bussia label

Italy newsletter: Sign up today

Get the best recommendations, vintage analysis, regional and cultural insights and more delivered to your inbox once a month, helping you to stay up-to-date with the latest in Italian wine.

Related articles

• Three Barolo producers having a breakout moment
• Cool Barolo: The sites and techniques driving fresher styles in Piedmont
• Barolo 2021: Vintage report & top wines from ‘a modern benchmark’